A few weeks ago Cisco announced that it will be setting up its Maltese operation at SmartCity Malta in Ricasoli. i-Tech caught up with Ruben Azzopardi, Cisco’s Malta manager, for more details on this strategic decision.
Why did Cisco’s Malta office decide to establish its operations at SmartCity Malta? What factors supported such a move?
Malta has a highly strategic approach towards ICT and towards developing a knowledge-based economy. At Cisco, we believe in the transformational effect that such strategic government policies can have on the economy, and we have been supporting these policies in Malta in different ways. SmartCity, with its vision of creating a global community of townships with global, regional and local companies is one of the pillars of Malta’s strategy, so it was a natural step for Cisco to aim to be part of such a prestigious and important project for Malta.
We are also building on established relationships that Cisco has with SmartCity in Dubai; therefore, our presence supports both Malta’s strategy to be a regional leader in the knowledge economy and SmartCity’s corporate vision.
How will this relocation benefit not just Cisco but also Malta as a country which provides a market for Cisco products?
A stronger presence by a global organisation such as Cisco helps to instill confidence in the local market and realise the potential upturn that we expect after the financial and economic situation that the worldwide markets have experienced in these past two years. With our presence in SmartCity, we hope to be a model for other businesses that want to take advantages of the benefits that Malta offers.
Moreover, I believe that showing our commitment to the project from an early stage will also benefit the country. Despite the small size, Malta has all the advantages of being an early adopter. Malta has set up some innovative projects that showcase a dynamic, forward-looking culture; we keep highlighting the fact that Malta has the right infrastructure and human capital to attract international investments.
Looking specifically at the ICT industry, a strong ICT market in Malta helps to meet the demand for communications and IT to support businesses, and also creates a dynamic infrastructure that attracts foreign and local investment. Cisco wants to be a strong participant in the country transformation effect that is being driven by sectors such as ICT, e-gaming, financial services, aviation and others, in collaboration with our local Cisco partners in Malta.
What kind of office will Cisco have at SmartCity Malta? How many Cisco employees will work there? What will be their main competencies?
Our Malta office is consolidating a strategy of being located in both the important markets and those markets with growth potential. The location in Malta will have high-end facilities from which we will base our local sales team and be able to showcase our latest technologies. What is significant is that this office will have the capabilities to be an initial base for other functions in Malta, as well as for growing the sales team.
The recent announce-ment also said that SmartCity Malta has selected Cisco’s Borderless Network Architecture. What added value will this solution bring to SmartCity Malta?
Let me say that we are very proud to have been chosen by SmartCity for our solutions, as we have implemented not only our Borderless Network architecture but also Cisco’s Unified Communications platform.
SmartCity needed a secure and flexible communications architecture to cater for their tenants, both small and large, having diverse communications needs within the city and with other locations, customers and partners. They also needed a solution that could scale up as the city continues to grow, and clearly, SmartCity felt our architecture-based solutions could do all this.
The Borderless Network architecture provided a foundation for our Unified Communication solution, using which SmartCity Malta can deliver advanced voice and video communications facilities to business partners located at SmartCity. Through our partnership with Go which implemented the solutions, the telecom and campus management networks of SmartCity Malta are interconnected across the campus for a full integration of different technologies and products. SmartCity were also able to address their goal of a green and sustainable township using this integration to enable integrated building management and control systems that deliver energy efficiency, security and enhance the tenants’ experience within the township.
Many other customers in Malta have adopted these solutions, as businesses strive to make more productive and efficient use of resources, both in terms of ICT investment and for their employees.
What are the future plans for Malta’s Cisco operations now at SmartCity?
We share a strong belief in the huge potential of the project and in SmartCity’s global reach to attract business to Malta, and we look forward to being an integral part of the city’s growth. I am sure that what we have put in place has all the right elements to support Cisco’s regional expansion and increased investment in Malta.